Sunday, October 22, 2017

Amritsar: Member of Parliament for Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla expressing concern about the Shri Guru Ramdas International Airport has said that BJP led Central Govt. and National Carrier Air India were deliberately giving stepmotherly treatment to the Holy City of the Amritsar and Punjabi Community.

Aujla said that the Central Govt. as well as Air India were completely biased against Guru Ki Nagri. It stopped direct International Flights from Amritsar to London, Birmingham & Toronto in 2010, despite being the most successful flights in the history of Air India. Now they were not starting any direct International Flight from Amritsar giving excuse of its‘Hub & Spoke’ policy. However the list of deliberate violations of HUB & SPOKE policy by Ministry and Air India in case of Amritsar is unending.

Air India has started Ahmedabad – London – Newarkdirect flight in August 2016, Varanasi to Colombo flight in August 2017 and now Air India has announced Chandigarh to Bangkok direct flight from 11th December, 2017 violating its own Hub and Spoke policy. If Air India can start direct nonstop flight operations from Ahmedabad, Varanasi & Chandigarh then why Air India cannot start direct Amritsar-London-Toronto & Amritsar-Birmingham flights ?

In October 2016Air India’s CMD Ashwani Lohani& Commercial Manager Pankaj Shrivastava announced that Air India will start direct Amritsar – Toronto flight operations from 15th February, 2017, but it has not yet materialized. On 31st December 2016, Air India announced that it will connect Amritsar – NandedSahib& Amritsar – Mumbai with direct flights. But till now it remains on papers only, informed Aujla.
22/10/17 Jagmohan Singh/Punjab News Express